If you’re familar at all with the term “IPTV” it’s in the context of connecting to, ahem, out-of-the-way streaming video sources. Most people who use IPTV devices at all do so in order to stream content that you wouldn’t find on your average streaming stick. That doesn’t automatically mean pirated video or stuff of “questionable moral value.” It sometimes means foreign language programs or private feeds designed for within companies. But yeah, sometimes it does mean that other thing.
IPTV in the corporate world
Not all IPTV is bad. IPTV simply stands for internet protocol television, and it means video streamed using network cables instead of coax cables. There are legitimate reasons to use IPTV solutions out there, and they outnumber the kind of skeevy ones. Chances are if you use a home or office security system made in the last 10 years, it’s IPTV. If you can access it via an app, it definitely is. But that’s not really the biggest use of IPTV in businesses.
IPTV headends
So, let’s back up a bit. A headend is a system where all the video receivers are in one place. All that video is packaged up so it can go out on a single cable. We call that modulation. Systems like this are a lot easier to manage than systems where there’s a single receiver at every TV. Headends are used by hotels, restaurants, bars, senior living… basically any time you want to consolidate all the equipment in one place and make it easy for yourself down the road.
Traditional headend systems use coaxial cable. This came about because these systems mimicked the way that traditional broadcasting was done. The same frequency ranges were used and the signals were picked up through a TV’s tuner as if they’d come off an antenna. That is a great system and it’s still done today, but it’s not the only choice.
IPTV headends do the same thing as traditional coax-based ones, but instead of using coaxial cable, they use Ethernet cable and traditional network switches. This makes them much easier to wire and much more flexible. It also pretty much eliminates distance considerations, as long as you’re within the same building.
With IPTV, you can have a lot more video coming out of the same headend without sacrificing quality. Combined with the wiring cost being less, it seems like a real win.
Is there a downside here?
The only downside to an IPTV headend is that you need special TVs or a special converter box to watch IPTV video. Even if your consumer-grade TV does have an Ethernet port, it still won’t work with IPTV headends. It takes completely different tuner hardware. Instead of coexisting as a series of broadcast streams of different frequencies on one cable, IPTV headends provide virtual “servers” where different video streams go out using the same technology used in computer networks. To “tune a channel” with an IPTV headend means to point to a specific address or port and start receiving packets from that source.
Modern TVs that are equipped for IPTV make it look just like traditional television. The only difference to the customer experience is that they see a different kind of wire coming into the TV, and that’s only if they’re really paying attention. IPTV televisions aren’t necessarily more expensive, either. You won’t find them at rock-bottom prices at Walmart, but if you’re looking at premium quality TVs you’ll find that IPTV-equipped models cost about the same.
Ready to learn more?
Chances are you found this article because you’re thinking about video distribution for your business. You’ve come to the right place. When you’re ready for that upgrade, you want a reliable partner. You want someone who has experience and who can help you choose the right equipment and service. You want Signal Connect.
Signal Connect’s engineers will design the perfect system for you. They’ll make sure it meets your budget, then arrange for on-site installation. Often times, your local IT staff can handle the local wiring, meaning that installing the actual IPTV system can be extremely quick. If you’re a hotel owner, you know that taking rooms out of service costs money. We get that too, and that’s why we work hard to create seamless solutions.
Call the experts at Signal Connect. We’re here for you during East Coast business hours at 888-233-7563. We have an Enterprise team ready to help you with IPTV headends and a whole lot more. If it’s after hours, fill out the form and we’ll get right back to you.
